A Wild, Music-Fueled 3,000-Mile Ride Arrives at Its Final Destination

SEPTEMBER 28(16TH STREET STATION) This is the end, friends. Twenty-two(ish) days, ten stops, lots of yurt action (don’t ask), and so many great performances we can’t even count them all. And now, we’re finally at the end of the line. Last stop: Oakland. Station to Station will be going out with a bang in the other city by the Bay. The traveling art show’s final stop will have a repeat performance by electronic artist Dan Deacon, a one-time-only (on this tour, at least) performance by sci-fi-tinged singer-songwriter Lia Ices, and one last jam session from reggae legends the Congos. The cherry on top? A performance by indie new-waver Twin Shadow. When this started, it seemed like an unimaginably massive undertaking–one that even performer Ariel Pink called a “hare-brained scheme” that he doubted whether Doug Aitken could even pull off. Now it’s dancing its last dance. It’s been a wild ride – but don’t worry, we’ll be seeing it through to its final station.

Read our liveblog below.

WIRED Staff09-29-2013 | 06:42:55

Doug Aitken’s producer Chris Totushek marks the end of the line for Station to Station with a bottle of bubbly. After more than 20 days on the rails and ten events pulled off almost without a hitch – it was time for a final toast.

WIRED Staff09-29-2013 | 06:33:58

Nothin’ like a good ole-fashioned dance-off with several hundred of your closest friends.

Angela Watercutter09-29-2013 | 06:18:31

“What a trip!”

— OH during Dan Deacon’s set when he turned everyone’s smartphone into a symphony

WIRED Staff09-29-2013 | 06:07:53

Dan Deacon dives straight into the crowd for some “group interpretive dancing” and a smartphone-enabled interactive set.

Angela Watercutter09-29-2013 | 05:56:39

“You guys are the Gremlins of my life.”

— Dan Deacon during his set trying to get the crowd to organize for a dance-off

WIRED Staff09-29-2013 | 05:50:32

Whipmaster extraordinaire Chris Camp does a quick show of his skills.

WIRED Staff09-29-2013 | 05:46:46

Savages’ Jehnny Beth really brought it to the stage.

Angela Watercutter09-29-2013 | 05:27:19

George Lewis, Jr. (aka Twin Shadow) took the stage tonight in a freaking sweet-looking grey suit. Seriously, it’s got like a Dr. Evil vibe. Then – hopefully in a play to please the gamers – played “Old Love/New Love,” which was just released on Grand Theft Auto V.

Photo: Bryan Derballa/WIRED

WIRED Staff09-29-2013 | 04:57:26

The projections on the stage are just as impressive from behind.

WIRED Staff09-29-2013 | 04:49:43

Auctioneer Tony Goodman works the crowd.

WIRED Staff09-29-2013 | 04:49:09

Lia Ices destroys her set with the utmost grace on the indoor stage.

Angela Watercutter09-29-2013 | 04:23:28

After a few shows where they stayed on small non-stages (the ground under a movie screen, a courtyard), No Age are finally up on the main stage and sounding even louder than they do on the ground.

WIRED Staff09-29-2013 | 04:03:11

“So what’s the skinny on the best yurt?”

— OH in the station courtyard

WIRED Staff09-29-2013 | 03:54:52

The Congos got the crowd goin’ with a rowdy reggae set.

WIRED Staff09-29-2013 | 03:45:11

The sun’s goin’ down, but the night’s just getting started.

WIRED Staff09-29-2013 | 03:32:00

Jonah Bokaer contorts for the crowd.

WIRED Staff09-29-2013 | 03:26:27

The crowd gets cozy as the show picks up speed.

Angela Watercutter09-29-2013 | 03:16:00

Judging by the number of cameras and camera phones out, the Submerged Turntables piece is the most photographable thing of the night (so far, at least). We even spied auctioneer Tony Goodman snapping a pic. It’s understandable – that piece is stunning to watch (and looks cool with Instagram’s Sutro filter, FYI).
Photo: Bryan Derballa/WIRED

Angela Watercutter09-29-2013 | 02:51:07

“What is the hashtag for this thing?”

— OH in the 16th Street Station’s main room

WIRED Staff09-29-2013 | 02:40:24

For a few moments after Olaf Breuning’s smoke bomb installation was set alight, the venue looked like a post-apocalyptic wasteland. But then, just as suddenly, the smoke was gone and the night powered on.

WIRED Staff09-29-2013 | 02:35:22

Olaf Breuning’s smoke installation opens up the show, rolling into the wind with the sunset.

WIRED Staff09-29-2013 | 02:08:26

The production crew sets up on the 16th Street Station grounds. Right now this area is markedly barren, but soon enough some 3,000 people will be filling this space.

Angela Watercutter09-29-2013 | 01:57:04

The Oakland happening is off and running. Olaf Breuning’s smoke bombs have been set off. Sun Araw and the Congos are already playing, setting a super-chill mood, and there are short films rolling in the main station lobby, where Lia Ices should be hitting the stage soon. Party: officially started.

WIRED Staff09-29-2013 | 01:42:16

Lia Ices soundchecks inside the 16th Street Station.

WIRED Staff09-29-2013 | 01:16:03

Choreographer Jonah Bokaer limbers up for his performance on the secondary stage set up in the middle of the audience for tonight’s gig.

WIRED Staff09-29-2013 | 01:01:38

A member of the production crew hangs Sam Falls’ curtain installation along fences that line the main stage.

WIRED Staff09-29-2013 | 00:32:24

No Age soundchecks in the desert-like space in front of the station. Today’s dry, dry heat is more like Barstow than Oakland.

WIRED Staff09-29-2013 | 00:08:18

Artist Willa Nasatir, left, shows Doug Aitken the work she created on the Station to Station project as they made their way across the country.

WIRED Staff09-28-2013 | 23:57:16

Twin Shadow, taking pause during soundcheck.

Angela Watercutter09-28-2013 | 23:36:00

This Is How You Play Sade Underwater

Evan Holm still remembers the first time he played a record under water.

Like most people – OK probably everyone – he thought it wouldn’t work. But he wanted to try, so two years ago he made a prototype – a turntable dropped into a large Tupperware-style container – and gave it a spin.

“It was a complete experiment for me,” Holm told WIRED. “It was just magic to me the first time the needle touched through the water and it worked.”

From that moment, Submerged Turntables was born. The piece, which Holm used to perform at San Francisco’s Museum of Modern Art but that normally lives in his studio in Oakland, is meant to serve as a reminder that all of our shiny gadgets will one day return to the earth like everything else. By playing the records in the piece’s pitch-black pool, Holm is “enacting a small moment of remorse towards this loss.”

But just because records can be played under water, doesn’t mean his two turntables and a microphone didn’t take some creative engineering. For one, he took all of the electronics out of the water by suspending the turntable motors in branches above his water pool. The motors rotate rods that in turn operate a belt system which moves the turntable plates. “Everything that happens under water is purely mechanical,” he said. The needle itself is a standard turntable cartridge that he waterproofed.

Holm will be using his system to play a mix of electronica and pop during tonight’s Station to Station event (he was playing Sade earlier, so listen for some Lovers Rock). Along with his turntables, there will also be a submerged fretless zither being played by Holm’s wife Karuna Schweig (amplified using an underwater microphone). Holm, who owns a small residential construction business when he’s not working on art, spent some two years on Submerged Turntables and noted that his work in construction gave him the talents needed to build this piece – right down to the plaster-casted pool.

“The skills are really transferrable, actually,” he said.

Photos: Bryan Derballa/WIRED

WIRED Staff09-28-2013 | 23:27:52

As crew and journalists work furiously before the start of the show, a little swatch of that good light brightens up the brick.

WIRED Staff09-28-2013 | 23:03:13

The interior of the epic station, where folks used to wait for their departures, is now being set up to entertain.

WIRED Staff09-28-2013 | 22:21:36

Get ready for the Bay Area! Station to Station put together this little sneak peek of what’s to come tonight in the final blowout event. They’re expecting 3000(!) people this evening, which means it’s bound to be a good time.

WIRED Staff09-28-2013 | 21:51:24

George Lewis Jr. (aka Twin Shadow) loads in at the Oakland station.

WIRED Staff09-28-2013 | 21:20:55

It’s a beautiful day to be wandering around a closed-down relic of old Oakland.

WIRED Staff09-28-2013 | 21:02:50

Jehnny Beth of Savages soundchecks in front of an audience of Station crew.

Angela Watercutter09-28-2013 | 20:47:00

So, the Oakland site is only just getting set up and things are still awry – but this place already looks like art/rock heaven.

Why? Because it’s set in the yard of Oakland’s historic 16th Street Station – a brick, stone, and steel structure that’s been here since 1912. The building, designed by architect Jarvis Hunt, took two years to build and after it was completed became a preeminent train hub in California. For years the Beaux Arts building was the end of the line for the transcontinental railroad, the place greeting those who sought to go west.

However, the station was pretty badly damaged in the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989 and service stopped here in 1994, replaced by the new Amtrak outpost that the Station to Station train arrived in. Since then it’s fallen into disrepair so it’s become delightfully dilapidated. Covered in graffiti, its façade now looks like a dystopia film set. (Though, in stark contrast to that, it actually has been used as a set for HBO’s Ernest Hemingway biopic Hemingway and Gellhorn.) It’s got that gritty, raw vibe that can alternately make it feel like a skater/graffiti artist haven or music video. Or both simultaneously.

So, yes, this place is cool. And in just a few hours thousands of people will be descending on this space to bring Station to Station to a close.

Top image: An historic postcard of the 16th Street Station in its glory days. Bottom image: The station as it stands today. Bryan Derballa/WIRED

WIRED Staff09-28-2013 | 06:01:40

There were emphatic goodbyes as the team left the train (and its friendly staff) for the last time.

Angela Watercutter09-28-2013 | 05:56:00

Parting is such sweet sorrow, but all good things must come to an end. Minus cliches, that means that we’ve all disembarked from our Station to Station coach for the final time. No, we’re fine – there’s just something in our eye.
Photo: Bryan Derballa/WIRED

WIRED Staff09-28-2013 | 05:45:41

And we’re here. Rolling into Oakland with Twin Shadow.

WIRED Staff09-28-2013 | 05:35:56

Getting close….

WIRED Staff09-28-2013 | 04:33:17

Rounding the bend to home.

WIRED Staff09-28-2013 | 04:15:48

A little Nat Geo moment from the train.

WIRED Staff09-28-2013 | 04:01:45

Writer Andi Mags smokes in the shadows.

Angela Watercutter09-28-2013 | 03:59:28

“I cannot raise this roof.”

— OH during the final soirée in the (admittedly low-clearance) Superdome car

WIRED Staff09-28-2013 | 03:45:49

Cameron Stallones and Sun Araw jammed in the recording car with The Congos.

Angela Watercutter09-28-2013 | 03:17:04

Dinner. Presumably this is everyone’s last meal on the train, so we’re going out in style. Drinks. Cheese plates. Another great, earthy concoction from Leif Hedendal. Oh, and we’ve got some Bruce Springsteen, Rolling Stones, and Beatles playing from a portable speaker.

So long, Superdome. It’s been amazing.

WIRED Staff09-28-2013 | 03:16:15

Now entering produce country.

Angela Watercutter09-28-2013 | 03:02:00

Dan Deacon DJs Happy Hour On the Train

Happy hour on the train: The drinks are flowing and music is blasting. The party-starter for our final ride into Oakland? Dan Deacon, naturally. The electronic musician plugged his iPhone into a portable speaker in the Levi’s car and got to work.

His playlist was, of course, masterful. A little bit of Operation Ivy, some “Under the Sea” from The Little Mermaid, a bit of Steely Dan’s “Peg.” He also threw in some “Regulate” by Warren G and Nate Dogg and Paul Simon’s “You Can Call Me Al” and an epic remix of Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart.”

But he ended on the track he always ends on when DJ-ing: Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which he describes as something of a metaphor for a good dance party since it starts slow, hits a big crescendo and then fades out.

“I feel like it’s the culmination of a dance party,” Deacon told WIRED. “It’s just perfect.”

Even though the set consisted of a lot of what Deacon called his “go-to” songs, it maybe wasn’t his typical happy-hour set. But only because it was his first time.

“I’ve never DJed a happy hour before,” he said. “I’m more of a block party or bar mitzvah-style DJ.”

WIRED Staff09-28-2013 | 02:45:53

Exiting a tunnel in the Sinatra car feels kind of like being at an aquarium.

WIRED Staff09-28-2013 | 02:31:37

The man himself – Doug Aitken.

WIRED Staff09-28-2013 | 02:16:14

Doug Aitken’s team has filmed nearly every second of this excursion.

WIRED Staff09-28-2013 | 02:07:55

I much prefer our mode of transportation.

WIRED Staff09-27-2013 | 23:31:49

A quiet Dan Deacon. Very rare.

Angela Watercutter09-27-2013 | 23:20:11

Down in the recording car, Sun Araw was just working on a groove. Now the members of the Congos have filed in to lay down some vocals. Perhaps we’ll have new meditation music on the way?

WIRED Staff09-27-2013 | 23:16:16

Backyard recreation.

WIRED Staff09-27-2013 | 23:02:53

George Lewis Jr. aka Twin Shadow serenades the Levi’s car.

WIRED Staff09-27-2013 | 22:31:44

“Wind’s blowing up a gale today.” – Eli Cash in The Royal Tenenbaums

WIRED Staff09-27-2013 | 22:15:48

Single-file cattle.

WIRED Staff09-27-2013 | 22:03:59

Can’t get enough of that ocean air.

WIRED Staff09-27-2013 | 21:41:27

Cameron Stallones from Sun Araw and his wife Erica Ryan Stallones take in the scenery from a sleeper car.

If there’s one thing you can count on while riding this train, it’s Al Walker.Walker, the train’s steward, has been making sure this ride’s amenities run smoothly. He works the bar – keeping folks caffeinated and hydrated – and also serves food during mealtimes. Essentially, he’s the guy everyone should make friends with (luckily he’s one of the nicest people around). Funny thing is, he doesn’t have to be here. Not really. Walker’s a wellness coordinator back in Denver, where he’s lived since he moved there in 1962 for college. He just works as a steward for fun, not to pay the bills. “I don’t have to do these jobs,” he told WIRED.But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have experience feeding people on long journeys. “I have a gift of knowing what people need before the need it,” Walker said. At one point he spent five years doing sleigh-ride dinners near Denver (basically allowing folks to ride out to a remote location where he would feed them). In the 1970s and 80s he did similar trips for travelers to the Yellowstone River and for houseboat guests on Lake Powell.So basically, feeding a bunch of musicians, artists and other assorted crew on Station to Station is a breeze.“The atmosphere on this train has been very relaxed,” Walker said. “Which makes my job a lot easier.” Photo: Bryan Derballa/WIRED

It’s a bittersweet celebration in the Levi’s car. They’re circulating mimosas to make the most of the final stretch.

WIRED Staff09-27-2013 | 19:07:22

Olafur Eliasson’s drawing machine sketches out its final work.

WIRED Staff09-27-2013 | 17:59:01

The Congos jump onboard at Union Station.

Angela Watercutter09-27-2013 | 17:22:04

Rollin’ Out of LA

It’s almost over. It’s kind of hard to believe. Even though this writer has already spent some 23 hours on this beautiful beast, it’s felt too short.

Being on this train has felt like the first weeks of college. There are so many new people and not everyone knows each other and no one’s sure who is going to befriend whom. But this is our dorm and we all decided to give it a college try. Now – a few shows, a few meals in the dining hall/car, and some late-night jam sessions later – we can’t imagine life any other way.

But now it’s about to be rolling and a lot of the talk floating through the cars is about how much everyone’s going to miss it. The place where we weren’t even sure we’d fit in just a few days ago now kind of feels like home and soon it’ll be rolling away.

But for now, we’re enjoying the ride.

WIRED Staff09-27-2013 | 08:36:56

This Station to Station poster is gettin’ pretty heavy with autographs.

Angela Watercutter09-27-2013 | 08:36:43

This Is The End, Friends.

Twenty-two(ish) days, ten stops, lots of yurt action (don’t ask), and so many great performances we can’t even count them all. And now, we’re finally at the end of the line. Last stop: Oakland.

Station to Station will be going out with a bang in the other city by the Bay. (It is also set to be sucked into a black hole – that’ the theme of artist Liz Glynn’s art yurt at this stop. She started with a bang – the Big Bang – back in New York.) The traveling art show’s final stop will have a repeat performance by electronic artist Dan Deacon, a one-time-only (on this tour, at least) performance by sci-fi-tinged singer-songwriter Lia Ices, and one last jam session from reggae legends the Congos. The cherry on top? A performance by indie new-waver Twin Shadow.

When this started, it seemed like an unimaginably massive undertaking–one that even performer Ariel Pink called a “hare-brained scheme” that he doubted whether Doug Aitken could even pull off. Now it’s dancing its last dance. It’s been a wild ride – and, frankly, we’re a little sad to be leaving our beloved train. But don’t worry, we’ll be seeing it through to its final station.

WIRED Staff09-27-2013 | 06:40:56

No Age has left the building.

WIRED Staff09-27-2013 | 06:31:15

Urs Fischer’s disco room is closed for night.

WIRED Staff09-27-2013 | 06:20:49

Union Station: where it’s at.

WIRED Staff09-27-2013 | 06:10:38

Beck and the Millennium Choir are a beautiful match.

WIRED Staff09-27-2013 | 06:01:33

Christa Everest snuck her rainbow colored poi balls into Beck’s set.

WIRED Staff09-27-2013 | 05:47:43

Beck echos through the ticketing hall at Union Station.

WIRED Staff09-27-2013 | 05:31:14

Flamenco dancers Lydia Gallegos and Yarrow Perea came all the way from Albuquerque to stomp their way back into our hearts.

WIRED Staff09-27-2013 | 05:15:43

Dan Deacon’s tunnel of dance.

Angela Watercutter09-27-2013 | 05:10:14

The fact that there’s choir in this space makes it feel just a little bit like church. The Rev. Hansen leading the congregation, naturally.

WIRED Staff09-27-2013 | 04:55:20

Dan Deacon turns it up a notch.

WIRED Staff09-27-2013 | 04:45:35

Ashanti Roy Johnson of The Congos leads the audience in a meditation.

Angela Watercutter09-27-2013 | 04:40:09

Beck is back with his full choir, launching into “Lonesome Tears” – only in this setting it feels a lot more intimate than at the Barstow drive-in. (Obviously.)

WIRED Staff09-27-2013 | 04:28:48

The Congos and Sun Araw get the crowd real irie.

Angela Watercutter09-27-2013 | 04:25:10

Dan Deacon just turned a room full of smartphones into a symphony thanks to the Dan Deacon app. (It’s free.) Then it turned all their camera flashes into pseudo-strobes. “We did the most punk rock thing we could do,” he told the audience, “which is create an app.”

Angela Watercutter09-27-2013 | 04:01:27

Unlike in Barstow, where No Age started in the light (of the sunset) and played until it was dark, tonight the band started playing in the dark – introduced by a procession of Chris Camp’s whip-cracking – and then the lights came up.
Photo: Bryan Derballa/WIRED

Angela Watercutter09-27-2013 | 03:49:29

“I think this is my first show in a train station but I’m not 100 percent certain.”

— Dan Deacon, who is currently holding a dance contest in the center of the room

WIRED Staff09-27-2013 | 03:34:22

Let the art begin.

WIRED Staff09-27-2013 | 03:16:04

Enlightened guests exit Liz Glynn’s universe-defining yurt.

WIRED Staff09-27-2013 | 02:57:13

Taking in Kenneth Anger.

WIRED Staff09-27-2013 | 02:50:58

Guests start to gather in the main ticketing hall as the show begins.

Angela Watercutter09-27-2013 | 02:35:53

Celeb Sighting in LA, No. 2

So, Beck is presently walking the grounds of the Union Station courtyard checking out the yurts like it ain’t no thing.

WIRED Staff09-27-2013 | 02:20:41

As the California sun sets, it’s time to get this party started.

WIRED Staff09-27-2013 | 02:03:29

Peeking in on Cameron Stallones from Sun Araw as they soundcheck with The Congos before the show.

Angela Watercutter09-27-2013 | 01:46:00

The Congos rehearse with some of the best vocal shout-outs. Throughout they mic checked with: “Double-U, double-U, double-U, dot…” and “Get together, get together, and get Rastafari…” then threw in a “Yeah, mon!” or two and even one “Station to Station!”

Their groove is sounding smooth, and a bit floor-shaking. We overheard Tony Goodman, the auctioneer who recently joined the trip for the final leg, say, “This is putting my hearing aid in a tizzy.” (Not that he minded – he stuck around throughout their sound check, tapping his feet.)

Photo: Bryan Derballa/WIRED

Angela Watercutter09-27-2013 | 01:25:37

Chris Camp is currently warming up with his whips. He’s awfully close to a light tower. But so far he’s only gotten the two tangled once. Chances are he won’t do it again – he’s just that good.
Photo: Bryan Derballa/WIRED

WIRED Staff09-27-2013 | 01:03:13

Tim Koh, left, joined back up with the Station to Station crew, and talks with Sun Araw, the project’s newest arrival.

WIRED Staff09-27-2013 | 00:31:25

Chris Totushek and Mara McKevitt from Doug Aitken’s team strategize for tonight’s event.

WIRED Staff09-27-2013 | 00:16:10

The art yurts are filling the courtyard at Union Station.

WIRED Staff09-27-2013 | 00:05:36

Maura Ambrose from Folk Fibers dyed some T-shirts with black walnuts she picked up in New Mexico. Ambrose has been traveling alongside the train with Levi’s Makers tent.